Promise This
by Keeksxx
Summary: Ronnie Mitchell is back in Albert Square after moving away for a while due to a miscarriage. Will life return back to normal for her, or will nothing change? Ronnie/Jack story, with Danielle and a few twists.
1. Fryups, headaches & Saturdays

**Okay, so this is the first story I've done on this website or on any website for that matter, lol, so tell me what you think! **

Chapter 1

She woke up slowly, the consequences of last night's actions now beginning to set in. For Ronnie Mitchell had drunk too much alcohol for the 3rd night running this week and had started to make it a habit rather than a treat. She listened for any proof of life in her flat, and was satisfied when she'd heard nothing at all; she always ended up rather embarrassed about the way she ended up after an alcohol-fuelled night. The only thing that she could hear was the gentle patter of the rain against her bedroom window, which was a much better sound than the consistent drumming in her head at the current moment. On sitting up, she had noticed two things:

That her clothes from last night had disappeared from the floor as if it had a life of its own, and walked to the top of her chest of drawers, where they lay neatly folded. And

Next to her clothes, there was a cup of what appeared to be water and a piece of paper next to it. She reached out for the note, getting annoyed at her inability to stretch far without wincing in pain. When she'd finally accomplished her somewhat painful task, she opened the note and read it.

'_I've left you a glass of water with some aspirin, take the medication please, it's for your own good. There's food for you in the microwave, I heard fry-ups can cure a hangover, but I wouldn't know... I hate fry-ups! _ x'

Ronnie smiled at the note, her first genuine smile in what appeared to be a few weeks. She was used to plastering on a fake polite smile, a very convincing one too, but this note had given Ronnie reason to smile, as it was from her housemate, Danielle. Danielle was just younger than Ronnie and was helping Ronnie majorly with the rent. Roxy, Ronnie's old housemate, couldn't handle Ronnie's 'special' organisational skills and left her to fight it alone. Ever since moving in, Danielle had been trying so hard to get along with Ronnie, tidying up whenever she can, cooking whenever she could etc. Ronnie couldn't be happier that she wasn't alone, she detested being lonely at times, but there was something about Danielle that made Ronnie feel on edge...

Ronnie grabbed the glass from the top of the drawer, and gulped down the medication and started to search her room for her dressing gown. In her head, Ronnie knew that this little drinking habit of hers had to stop. She'd seen how much Phil had changed due to alcohol, and was sure that she didn't want to end up like that. However, she knew exactly why she drank. She drank to take away the never-ending aching and pain of losing her precious daughter. Ronnie had given birth to a gorgeous baby girl aged 14, due to a wild night of raving, alcohol and sexual games with her then-boyfriend, Joel and their mates, only to have the life and joy sucked out of her when her mother decided that she would rather keep living a life filled with pride than one where she was ashamed to call Ronnie her daughter. Ronnie had begged and pleaded to keep her little girl, but her plea fell on deaf ears because she knew her mum wouldn't ever let her keep Amy, and her father, who sided with Ronnie no matter what, couldn't control the situation due to being quite ill at the time. So Amy was adopted and was never seen or heard of again, every mother's nightmare. Ronnie paused in her tracks to think about her daughter, she had done this every morning, so it wasn't unusual. Making her way to the kitchen to get the food Danielle made for her, she checked the time on the TV. Half eleven. "Shit!" she screamed and ran towards the shower. She had to be at R'n'Rs for midday for a meeting with the bank manager and her business partner and best mate, Jack Branning.


	2. Bad Dreams & Drama Queens

**Okay, just so everyone knows, the past events are in bold and any notes etc. are in italics. Please rate and review, thanks **

Chapter 2

Jack Branning. The name that all the ladies recognised. The man was a serial womaniser; you shouldn't be surprised if he eyed you up when first coming into contact with you. It wasn't a surprise though, he was absolutely gorgeous and any girl who saw him definitely knew this. Ronnie definitely knew what the big deal was when it came to Jack, mainly because 2 years ago, she was the most important woman in his life. They'd been dating for almost 2 years at that point and very getting along really well, with a very popular and potentially promising career in the nightclub and the icing on the cake, Ronnie's little bun in the oven. It was a fairytale for Ronnie, who after having such a dreadful teenage life, had thought she was finally going to get her 'happily-ever-after'. However, as her father had always warned her, life was never a fairytale, no matter how much she wanted it to be and Jack and Ronnie broke up following a series of severe arguments and issues that put their relationship on life support, with no intention of getting better at all. And now, 2 years and a horrifying miscarriage later, they were closer than ever before.

Ronnie hurriedly pulled on her purple coat after taking it off the coat hanger. She left the house almost and quickly as she had put on her coat and briskly made her way through Albert Square. Checking her watch, she realised that she only had 5 minutes left to get to the club. She passed many familiar faces on the way there, many familiar faces that still weren't courageous enough to look Ronnie in the eye following her tragic miscarriage right outside the pub all that time ago. She was aware that this period of time was around the time when she'd miscarried a few years ago, but she couldn't deal with the pity and the sympathy, she didn't even have the time to feel sorry for herself, As Jack had correctly pointed out in one of their heart-to-hearts a few month after the miscarriage, Ronnie was a strong, independent woman and she'd spent way too much time wallowing in self-pity earlier on in her life. She needed to start enjoying herself after all, didn't she deserve to?

'You're late.' Jack whispered after Ronnie had entered the office. The bank manager had been there a while now, and wasn't very happy that himself and Jack were being accompanied by a woman. Ronnie recognised him instantly; he was Joel's boss, also known as potentially the most sexist pig ever known to the eastern side of the city. 'The sexist twat didn't know you were coming, I wanted to surprise him.' Jack continued, ending his sentence with a cheesy grin, which nearly set the case of the giggles off between them. Ronnie resisted the urge to laugh and remained professional. She appeared to hate when Jack sat back casually on his iPhone, cracking jokes like there was no tomorrow in business meetings, but secretly she loved it, it brightened up the meetings. At this moment in time, it was quite obvious that Ronnie did not want to be there, she was only there for Jack's sake, due to the fact that Jack, although he may seem incredibly intelligent, had the attention span on a toddler. She composed herself and sat down at the desk, flashing one of her fake polite smiles, fully prepared for the tedious that was going to happen.

An hour later, they were finally done and Jack waved the bank manager goodbye. 'Well thank goodness that's done. Wanna go down the Vic for a quick drink?', he asked Ronnie. Ronnie laughed at him, mainly for not noticing that they owned a club and therefore, did not need to go anywhere for a drink. Jack frowned, realising that maybe drinking may not be the best thing to do at this time of the day due to Ronnie's recent habit. 'Never mind then' he finally said after a few seconds of silence. This seemed to be happening a lot lately, the awkward silences and stupid questions. It was fairly obvious that they weren't over each other just yet and they both had a soft spot for each other. But the feelings were getting stronger and much harder to control. Ronnie decided that enough was enough and made her way to the office door, only to be stopped by Jack, who grabbed her wrist. 'I'm sorry babe, I'm so sorry' Jack had blurted out upon realising his actions. Did he really feel that strongly about her, that he would grab her to stop her from leaving? He'd never grabbed her like that before. Ronnie smiled shyly, her cheeks burning up, and walked away, the smell of Jack's perfume dazing her.

Walking back home, Ronnie bumped into Danielle and Stacey Slater, her best mate. Stacey had never been keen on Ronnie before, but for some reason, she had started to grow on her. Maybe it was pity or maybe she realised that Ronnie wasn't that bad to hang around with if you gave it time. 'You alright Ronnie?' Stacey asked while handing a cup of tea to Danielle. Ronnie nodded, stopping by their stall for a quick little natter. 'Stacey's coming for dinner, if that's alright with you?' Danielle asked. 'Of course it is, she's more than welcome, and I think she knows that!' she replied, giving a warm, genuine smile again. Ronnie had noticed that she was actually quite good at interacting with people the same age as Danielle and Stacey, a fact that deeply satisfied her because she knew that it meant she'd be able to get along with her daughter if she ever found her. After a quick gossip, she walked the remainder of the journey home and sat down on the sofa for a little snooze.

'**I couldn't handle it anymore, I couldn't stand watching my eldest daughter turn into a minging little whore, spreading her legs for anyone she wants. This family has morals, we have dignity and pride, and she's blatantly tarnished the family name, the cheap little tart', Glenda had said, totally aware of the fact that Ronnie was sitting right there. 'She's our daughter, any caring parent would want the best for their child, have a heart Glenda and look at your daughter, she's hysterical for Christ's sake, she just wants to see her baby!' Archie replied, kissing his daughter's forehead to calm her down.'No. Hell no. She wants a baby? Tell her to wait 20 years! That baby isn't your anymore, you hear me Veronica? She's gone.' Glenda said coldly, looking into her daughter's eyes.**

Ronnie woke up instantly, her eyes watering. Her palms were sweaty, she was sweating a lot, and a cold shiver ran down her spine. She didn't like to be reminded of what happened; it upset her way too much. She wanted to sob, to let it out of her system, but she couldn't. She jumped at the sound of her phone ringing and went over to her coat and fished into her jacket pocket to fetch it when she felt something that was not in her pocket before fall out of her pocket and onto the floor. She looked at her phone, which now had a missed call from Jack and checked the time. 5 o'clock. She had to get ready for dinner now, and as she walked towards the kitchen, she kicked the crumpled note. Ronnie picked it up and opened it carefully, not wanting to rip the paper. Her heart started beating faster as she read the note.

'_Hi Ron, long time, no see. I've actually heard loads about you from my boss as well as other people, you know clients, people like that... Don't worry, it's all good! I really can't wait to meet you again of course, if that's alright with you. My number's at the bottom of the note, just in case you wanna make the first move for us to get back in call if you wanna reach me, drop me a text anytime soon. I've missed you Blondie. ;) Joel. x' _

Ronnie smiled at the note, feeling quite warm all of a sudden. She'd wanted to meet Joel again, she knew where he worked from her mates' knowledge but never had the courage to go and meet him. She was scared that her old feelings would come back again, just like they were for Jack. She went to go and call Joel when suddenly, the doorbell rang.


	3. Dinner Dates & Playmates

**Thanks guys for the comments, it made me feel quite good =]**

**Oh lawd, it's been ages since I wrote the last chapter... Basically my loverly lil sis stepped on my laptop and then screen broke. Can't write a story with a cracked screen, can we? **

**Firstly, OMG how brave is Ronnie? If I were her, I woulda done a runner! And secondly, Jack... He's gunna be heartbroken... I'll comfort him though... ;)**

**Sorry if it isn't as good as the other 2 chapters... I have writer's block. **

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 3

'Took your time answering that didn't you?' Jack asked as Ronnie opened the door. Ronnie hid the note immediately, she wasn't going to bring up Joel again, and besides, she knew that Jack wasn't happy about the fact that Joel had managed to have a child with Ronnie whereas he had failed. 'Yeah, I was sleeping, sorry. What are you doing here?' Ronnie replied, not meaning to sound rude but speaking without thinking. 'I was invited... I thought Danielle would have told you... I'm sorry, if you want me to leave, obviously I was interrupting something.' Jack replied taken back by Ronnie's tone of voice and looking at the floor where the crumpled note from Joel had fallen after bouncing off the side of the table, completely in his view. 'No, no, come in, don't worry about it', Ronnie replied, smiling awkwardly. She remembered what happened after that meeting and it was replaying in her mind. The way he had grabbed her, like he needed her to stay, almost as if he had something to say to her, it sent a little tingle down her spine. This was obviously going to be an uncomfortable evening.

Danielle and Stacey came in shortly after Jack had entered the house. Danielle was obviously struggling with the bags of food she was carrying and Stacey walked ahead without a care in the world, oblivious to the fact that her best friend was having a few difficulties. 'Oooh, you look happy there... Who's on your mind then, eh?' Stacey said, nudging Ronnie and winking playfully, unaware that she was being watched by Jack. Ronnie laughed at Stacey's banter and smiled warmly at Danielle, who had now successfully made her way into the house. 'Fish and chips alright then?' Danielle asked, placing the food on the kitchen table. She knew that inviting Jack was the right thing to do, Ronnie had been quite lonely lately and well, Jack seemed like the right companion. She knew that they used to be a couple, Stacey made sure that Danielle had all the need-to-knows about the residents of Albert Square, and concluded from that, that they deserved to be together again. Besides, it was so obvious that they were pining for each other! 'Yeah, that's fine thanks babe' Ronnie replied, indicating to Jack to head over to the dining table in order to eat dinner together after plonking himself on the sofa.

After what seemed to be an hour and a half, the four adults were laughing and chatting as if they had known each other for a very long time. Ronnie couldn't help but look at Danielle from time to time and think about how mature she was. 'She must have done a lot of growing up in her teenage years', she thought and reflected on her life all those years ago, filled with sadness and horror and a damn-right bitch of a mother. She hoped that Danielle did not have a life that was as horrible as hers was. Ronnie's private thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Danielle and Stacey, who were now getting up and leaving the table to retreat to Danielle's bedroom, leaving Jack and Ronnie alone at the table, which was now awfully quiet. She smiled nervously at Jack, worried that he'd bring up the meeting again. Instead, and much to her surprise, Jack held out his hand to Ronnie, indicating that he wanted to go and sit on the sofa. Totally unsure of what was going to happen, she took Jack's hand and he led her to the sofa, and turned on the TV.

'I'm sure something good is on now. You pick. What do you wanna watch?' Jack asked, eyeing up the bottle of wine on the table. Ronnie laughed, grabbing the bottle from the table and handing it over to Jack. 'Go on, grab some glasses and I'll see what's on' she replied. When Jack sat back down, he let out a groan of annoyance. 'Strictly Come Dancing? Really Ronnie?' He asked, smiling at her. This was something that happened almost every Saturday when they were together. Ronnie wanted to watch Strictly and Jack preferred The X Factor, but only to slag off the singers he hated. Ronnie grinned at him, obviously remembering their mock arguments. 'Yes really! You know I love watching them dancing, and besides, you only watch X Factor for Cheryl Cole...' she replied teasing him. Jack moved up the sofa, towards Ronnie with the intention of squishing her for the last comment she made. Ronnie already knowing what he was about to do, had already planned her next move and put her feet on the sofa in an attempt to kick him in his chest. However, it was no use, because Jack had got up off the sofa and grabbed her legs in one hand while tickling her using his other hand. Ronnie screamed and giggled, urgently trying to release her legs from Jack's very strong grip. Jack started laughing at Ronnie's reaction and gradually dropped her legs back on the sofa. Ronnie lay there laughing uncontrollably, ignoring Jack's request to allow him to sit back down, and as a result, Jack sat on her legs, prompting her to get up and shove him so he could fall onto the floor. Ronnie joined him on the floor, crossing her legs like a school kid. 'Just like old times, eh?', Jack asked with an obvious hint of sadness. 'Yeah. Just like old times.' Ronnie repeated, fighting back the tears that were about to fall. Jack noticed this, and pulled Ronnie in for a big hug, kissing the top of her forehead and stroking her hair, playing with her fringe like he used to.

3 hours later, Stacey and Danielle walked out of the bedroom to tell Ronnie that they were going to Stacey's, when they saw Jack and Ronnie curled up on the sofa, watching a movie, a romantic comedy, no doubt. Danielle smiled at Stacey, happy that Ronnie would be alright and Stacey smiled back, also happy for Ronnie but secretly wondering why Danielle was so happy. They left the house, without telling Ronnie, wanting to leave her and Jack alone. Hearing the door shut, Jack looked up and saw the time. 'Oh, God, it's 11. I've gotta go now.' Jack said to Ronnie, removing his hands from around her waist. Ronnie stretched and yawned, getting up to move out of Jack's way. They moved towards the front door to say goodnight to each other, trying not to make any noise unless Danielle and Stacey were asleep, totally unaware that they had left. 'Well, I'll see you tomorrow then' Jack said, shuffling awkwardly. 'Erm, yeah okay then, tomorrow' Ronnie said, rubbing her arms due to coldness. After an awkward silence, Jack hugged Ronnie to make her warm and to say goodnight. When they had let go of each other, their bodies still extremely close, Jack placed his lips on Ronnie's, kissing her ever so gently. She kissed him back, happy that he had finally done it. After they had stopped, he stroked her hair and kissed on the cheek before saying goodnight and walking away from her. He looked up at the night sky, filled with stars and smiled like a plonker. Ronnie stood at the door, staring at Jack and smiling like a lovestruck teen before entering her house and going to bed. This had truly been such a great evening for her.

**My writer's block has gone! Whoop!**

**This quite literally took forever to write, but I'm kinda sorta happy with it...**

**Reviews much appreciated **


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